THE FIRST group of Cherries players have returned to Bournemouth for pre-season testing.

Saturday morning saw some members of the squad enter the training ground and undergo a series of physical tests, after the seven-week summer break, following the 2-1 loss at Chelsea on May 19.

Among those to return were captain Neto, star striker Dominic Solanke and full-back Max Aarons, who was subject to a rejected bid from Southampton this week.

Club legend Adam Smith was also pictured, alongside Mark Travers, Dango Ouattara, Marcus Tavernier, Alex Scott, Lewis Cook and injured frontman Enes Unal, who had to withdraw from this summer’s Euros.

Some players have had less than seven weeks off, namely David Brooks and Jaidon Anthony. The pair of wingers reported for duty at Cherries six weeks on from the Championship play-off final, where both featured for Southampton and Leeds United respectively.

Some players have been given extra time off following their summer international exploits, in Illia Zabarnyi, Ryan Christie, Tyler Adams and Milos Kerkez. Luis Sinisterra is still competing at Copa America with Colombia.

Cherries’ first match of pre-season comes during their tour of the USA, against Wrexham on July 20.